THE SERIES•Texas holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series with all four wins coming prior to 1972.•The Ducks won the last meeting, 35-30, in the 2000 Holiday Bowl. Oregon was ranked No. 8 heading into the game against the No. 12 Longhorns.•The 2013 Valero Alamo Bowl marks the second time the two sides have met in a bowl game.•Oregon is 3-3 in six bowl appearances vs. Big 12 teams and have won 3 of the last 4, including the 2008 Holiday Bowl vs. Oklahoma State.

QUICK HITS•Oregon has reached the 10-win plateau for the sixth straight season, tied for the seventh-longest such streak in college football’s modern history.•UO will be playing in its 21st bowl in 25 years. Only Florida State (25), Florida (23), Ohio State (23), Nebraska (23) and Michigan (22) have more invites in the last quarter century.•Oregon is the third-highest ranked team to ever play in the Alamo Bowl behind No. 4 Kansas State (1998) and No. 8 Nebraska (2000).•The Ducks need 444 yards to set a new school record for total offense in a season. UO had 7,319 yards in 2011, which came in a 14-game season.•UO is one of only three teams nationally, along with Baylor and Missouri, to accumulate 3,000 yards both rushing and passing.•Oregon (7.60) ranks second only to No. 1 Florida State (7.81) in yards per play this season.•The Ducks’ offense ranks third nationally in scrimmage plays of 20-plus yards with 98 while the defense has surrendered the eighth-fewest (36).•UO ranked 124th out of 125 FBS teams in time of possession at 25:19:50.

HEAD COACH MARK HELFRICHMark Helfrich is in his first season as Oregon’s head coach after serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2009-12. During that span, he was directly involved in the success of a program that constructed a 46-7 record and appeared in four consecutive BCS bowl games, including the 2011 BCS National Championship game. Helfrich began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Ducks in 1997 and has since accumulated seven seasons as an offensive coordinator at two BCS schools and 15 years coaching quarterbacks. He was named Oregon’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on April 30, 2009 following three seasons in the same capacity at the University of Colorado (2006-08), five years as quarterbacks coach at Arizona State (2001-05) which included his final three campaigns in Tempe, Ariz., as passing game coordinator, and three seasons as quarterbacks coach at Boise State (1998-2000). Along the way, Helfrich was named National Quarterbacks Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2012 by FootballScoop, in addition to being one of three finalists as its national offensive coordinator of the year honor. Over the course of his 13 seasons prior to being named the Ducks’ head coach, Helfrich has played a role with offenses that have ranked among the nation’s top-eight teams in scoring offense six times, the top six in rushing on four occasions, the top five in total offense four times as well as the top five in passing twice. As Oregon’s OC he helped orchestrate attacks that were responsible for the top three total offense outputs in school history (2010-12) - including a school-record 7,319 yards in 2011 - as well as the only teams to account for more than 600 points in each of the last three seasons. Helfrich is the first native Oregonian to head the university’s football program since John Warren in 1942.

HISTORIC HELFRICHWith eight consecutive victories to start his Oregon head coaching career, Mark Helfrich passed C.W. Spears (1930 - 7 wins) for the best first-year start in school history. His 10 wins have him tied with Chip Kelly (2009) for the most overall by a UO first-year head coach.

LIGHTNING STRIKESOf Oregon’s 73 drives resulting in touchdowns this season, 48 (65.8 percent) have lasted two minutes or less. The Ducks’ two longest TD drives of the season came against UCLA with their first scoring march lasting 4:00 and the last eating up 4:55.

SUPER MARIOTAMarcus Mariota is in the process of putting back-to-back seasons that rank among the best by a quarterback in Oregon history. The redshirt sophomore from Honolulu has met the challenge of following up a campaign that saw him set the Pac-12 freshman record for touchdown passes (32) and lead the conference in passing efficiency (seventh nationally) en route to Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and All-Pac-12 first team QB honors. Through 12 games this season, he has totalled 3,412 yards passing and 582 rushing with 39 total touchdowns (30 pass, 9 rush) and just four interceptions. Mariota ranks sixth nationally in pass efficiency rating (167.95) and points responsible for per game (19.83), ninth in total offense (332.8 ypg) and 17th in yards per carry (7.19). A Heisman Trophy candidate, Mariota was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (most outstanding player), the Davey O’Brien Award (national quarterback award) and Walter Camp Award (most outstanding player). He is also on the watch list for the Manning Award (top quarterback honor, including bowl game).

ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER TOUCHDOWNMarcus Mariota continued his streak of touchdown passes in a game with three TD tosses in Oregon’s win over Oregon State on Nov. 29. The sophomore has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 25 games of his career, totaling 62 scores through the air. Mariota, who has 30 touchdown passes this season, has thrown for two or more TDs in a game 18 times with a career-high six touchdown passes at California as a freshman. He also has thrown four or more touchdowns in a game six times. Mariota’s 25-game touchdown pass streak is the third longest in the nation behind Fresno State’s Derek Carr and Marshall’s Rakeem Cato.

MARIOTA SETS TOUCHDOWN MARKWith seven total touchdowns at Colorado Oct. 5, SO QB Marcus Mariota tied the Pac-12 record and set the modern day school mark for total TDs, besting the previous mark which had been accomplished six times, including Mariota’s own six-touchdown effort at Cal in 2012. The second-year starter was 16-of-27 passing for 355 yards and five touchdowns against the Buffaloes. He also ran seven times for 43 yards and two scores.

MARIOTA MAKES MARK IN RECORD BOOKSSO QB Marcus Mariota set a new Oregon record for total offense in a season when he passed Akili Smith (1998) against Oregon State in the regular-season finale. Mariota ran his season total to 3,994 yards with 338 yards against the Beaver,s allowing the Honolulu native to best the old Ducks’ record of 3,947 yards. Mariota will become the first Duck to surpass the 4,000 yard total with six total yards in Oregon’s bowl game.

Mariota also could finish with the school’s all-time single-season record for passing yards, completions and touchdowns. He enters the bowl game second on the all-time list in passing yards and needs 352 yards to break Smith’s 1998 passing record of 3,763 yards. He heads into the bowl game with 227 completions (360 attempts), just four less than record holder Bill Musgrave (1989). Mariota has tossed for 30 TDs as well, three less than Darron Thomas’ school record of 33 in 2011.

MARIOTA CLOSING IN ON CAREER MARKSIn addition to the single-season records SO QB Marcus Mariota is making a run at during his sophomore season, he is also closing in on some Oregon career records. Mariota needs just two touchdowns, either rushing or passing, to pass Joey Harrington as the all-time leader in total offense touchdowns and most career total points accounted for. Mariota enters the bowl game with 76 total touchdowns, one shy of Harrington’s career total of 77. He has 462 total points accounted for, 10 less that Harrington. Mariota can also pass Darron Thomas for career TD passes record with five touchdowns in Oregon’s bowl game.

MARIOTA NEEDS 53 YARDS FOR QB RUSHING RECORDWith 1,334 yards on the ground through his first 25 games, SO QB Marcus Mariota is closing in on the UO career mark for rushing yards by a quarterback. Jeremiah Masoli has the record with 1,386. Like Mariota, Masoli also attended Honolulu’s Saint Louis High School.

RUNNING WILDAfter 100-yard rushing performances the first two weeks of the season, SO QB Marcus Mariota became the first Oregon signal caller to accomplish the feat in back-to-back games. Mariota is 17th the nation in average yards per rush (7.19).

RECORD PASSING STREAK ENDSSO QB Marcus Mariota’s streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception was snapped at 353 at Arizona on Nov. 23. That streak, which dated back to last season, is a Pac-12 record, besting USC’s Brad Otton, who had a streak of 216 in 1994-95. Kellen Clemens held the former UO mark of 178 in 2004. Mariota’s streak started after he threw a pick at the end of the first half vs. Stanford on Nov. 17, 2012.

HUFF ENOUGH IN CIVIL WARSR WR Josh Huff put an exclamation point on his career at Oregon in the Ducks’ 36-35 Civil War win over Oregon State on Nov. 29. In addition to setting career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (186), Huff matched a career-high with three touchdown catches including the game winner with 29 seconds to play. The senior’s 186-yards receiving marked the seventh 100-yard career receiving game and the fifth this season.

HUFF EYEING OREGON RECEIVING RECORDSSR WR Josh Huff enters Oregon’s bowl game with a chance to break a number of the Ducks’ single-season receiving records. The Houston, Texas, native has a chance to end the season as the single-season leader in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and 100-yard receiving games.

Huff needs just 88 yards to break the school’s single-season receiving yardage record. He caught 57 passes for 1,036 yards in the Ducks’ 12 regular-season games marking just the ninth time in Oregon history a receiver has reached the 1,000-yard receiving plateau in a single season. Huff heads to the bowl game tied with Cristin McLemore (1995) for seventh all-time in single-season receiving yardage. Bob Newland (1970) holds the single-season record with 1,123 yards. Huff’s 11 touchdown catches rank second all-time, one shy of Jeff Mael’s record. Huff also matched the single-season record at Oregon for 100-yard receiving games with five, tying Jaison Williams (2006), Damon Griffin (1998) and Pat Johnson (1997).

Huff’s 57 receptions rank eighth all-time in a season at Oregon. Maehl (2010) and Samie Parker (2003) hold the UO record with 77 catches.

HUFF’S CAREER ONE OF THE GREATSSR WR Josh Huff, enjoying his best season with 57 receptions for 1,036 yards and 11 TDs, will leave Oregon as one of the top 10 receivers in school history. The Houston native currently ranks eighth in career catches (139) and yards (2,262), and is fourth with 23 TD receptions. Huff can tie the school record for career receiving TDs with one in the bowl game.

THE DYNAMIC DUOLast season, Oregon did not have a single receiver amass 500 yards. Through 12 games in 2013, the Texas duo of SR WR Josh Huff and SO WR Bralon Addison have each eclipsed the 800-yard mark with Huff grabbing 57 balls for 1,036 yards and Addison with 56 catches for 842. Both players surpassed 100 yards receiving in back-to-back games at Colorado and Washington, highlighted by Addison’s two games of 150-plus and four touchdowns. Eleven of Oregon’s 12 games this season feature at least one receiving TD by Huff or Addison.

ADDISON IN RECORD BOOKSSO WR Bralon Addison joins fellow wide receiver Josh Huff in the Oregon single-season record books. Addison heads to the Ducks’ bowl game with 56 catches, which ranks in a ninth-place tie with Tony Hartley (1999). Addison is one catch behind Huff.

100-YARD RECEIVERSThe Ducks, who had a total of six 100-yard receiving performances over the past two seasons, have posted eight heading into the bowl game. SR WR Josh Huff tied a school record with five, SO WR Bralon Addison has two and FR TE Johnny Mundt has one. Two players have reached the mark in the same game three times this year, giving UO 16 such single-game duos in school history.

BRALON BREAKS OUTSO WR Bralon Addison, who took over as the Ducks’ primary punt returner at the end of last season, tied the Oregon and Pac-12 records for punt return touchdowns in a game, bringing back two (75 and 67 yards) in the Sept. 28 win vs. Cal. He joins Cliff Harris as the only other player in school history to duplicate that feat (vs. New Mexico in 2010), while they join USC’s Mike Garrett (1965 vs. California) and UCLA’s Sam Brown (1954 vs. Stanford) as co-holders of the league record. Addison’s punt return total of 142 yards was the most by any Oregon player in one game since Keenon Howry’s school-record 186 yards vs. Stanford in 2001. The Missouri City, Texas standout currently ranks 11th in the country in punt returns, averaging 15.0 yards on 19 returns.

THOMAS LOOKING TO ADD ANOTHER KICK RETURN RECORD TO RESUMEJR RB/WR De'Anthony Thomas heads to Oregon’s bowl game with one career kickoff return record and a good chance of adding a second. Thomas has returned four kickoffs for a touchdown during his three-year career, including the opening kick in last year’s Fiesta Bowl. Thomas set the school record with that return against Kansas State and added a fourth this season against Utah.

The Los Angeles native should set the Ducks’ return yardage record in the bowl game--if he gets the chance to return a kick. Thomas needs just nine yards to pass Steve Brown, who set the record with 1,868 yards from 1979-82.

MARSHALL NEEDS 5 YARDS FOR 1,000SO RB Byron Marshall needs just five yards in Oregon’s bowl game to record the 20th 1,000-yard rushing season by an Oregon running back. Marshall heads into postseason with 995 yards and 14 touchdowns on 155 attempts. The San Jose, Calif., native missed the Ducks’ season finale against Oregon State and carried the ball just three times against Arizona due to injury. If Marshall cracks the 1,000-yard plateau it will mark the seventh consecutive season that the Ducks have had a running back rush for more than a thousand yards. Twelve of the previous 19 1,000-yard seasons have come since the 2000 season.

HERE’S JOHNNYTight end Johnny Mundt made quite a debut catching passes in Oregon’s win vs. Tennessee Sept. 14. With expected starter Colt Lyerla out of action, the true freshman made his first start, recorded the first five receptions of his career, including a pair of touchdowns, while amassing 121 yards. That yardage total ranks as the ninth-most in a single game by a tight end at UO and is the highest total since Ed Dickson had 148 yards on 11 catches vs. Cal in 2009. Mundt was named the John Mackey Award’s national tight end of the week and was one of two freshmen on the midseason watch list. He is UO’s sixth-leading receiver with 15 receptions for 261 yards and has now started five of 12 games.

HOUSE OF LOUDWith a standing room only crowd of 58,330 at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 29 vs. Oregon State, the Ducks ran the nation’s third-longest sellout streak to 96 consecutive games (cap. 54,000), dating to 1999.

BCS PROWESSOregon’s 32-week streak of being top 10 in the BCS standings came to an end on Nov. 24 when the Ducks fell to 12th. With the end of the BCS following the upcoming bowl season, that string will go down historically as the second-longest in the BCS era behind USC’s 38 from 2002-06. Oregon wound up back in the top 10 (No. 10) in the final BCS standings ever.

OREGON 5-0The Ducks have scored at least 50 points in six of their 12 games this season. Oregon had a school-record five-game streak to open the season before being “held to just” 45 points in a 21-point win at Washington on October 12. Oregon ranks third nationally in scoring, averaging 46.8 points per game. UO became the first major program to put up at least 45 points in its first seven games of the season since Harvard in 1887.

SCOREGONThe Ducks have scored a program-best 645 points in each of the past two seasons, finishing second nationally in 2012 (49.6 points per game) and third in 2011 (46.1). Last year’s team set the UO bar for touchdowns with 89, despite playing one less game than the 2011 team, which found the end zone 88 times. This season, Oregon’s 78 TDs are the fourth most in the nation through Nov. 29, while the Ducks’ 561 points ranks fourth in the country. UO has at least six TDs in nine of their 12 games this season (9-8-8-8-8-6-9-6-3-6-2-5).

MATHIS MAKES THE RECORD BOOKJR CB Dior Mathis, also a member of the UO track & field team, put that track speed on display at Virginia Sept. 7, when he intercepted a pass deep in the end zone and ran more than 100 yards before getting knocked out at the UVA 3-yard-line. Officially, the third pick of his career went in the books as a 97-yard return, tying Kenny Wheaton (vs. UW in 1994) and Kenny Bryant (at TCU in 1977) for the second-longest in school history. It was the longest non-touchdown interception return by a Duck.

NO MAJOR HARDWARE FOR DUCKSAfter being named semifinalists for major awards, SO QB Marcus Mariota, listed as one of 16 for both the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award, and one of 15 semifinalists for the Walter Camp Award, and JR CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who made the first cut for both the Jim Thorpe Award and Chuck Bednarik Award, did not make any finalists lists. This marks the first time since the 2009 season that Oregon was not represented by a single player at ESPN’s annual awards show in Orlando.

COACHING CONTINUITYAn often overlooked facet of Oregon’s run of success has been the continuity of its coaching staff. First-year head coach Mark Helfrich is in his fifth season on staff, but he is supported by several assistants who have served the last three UO head coaches. Running backs coach Gary Campbell is in his 31st year on the Oregon staff, which is the longest tenure of any Oregon assistant football coach in school history. In addition, offensive line coach and running game coordinator Steve Greatwood enters his 27th season at UO, linebackers coach Don Pellum is in his 21st campaign, while defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti has spent 21 full seasons at Oregon over three separate stints.

RECORD RUNNERSThe Ducks’ current roster features three players who have etched their names on a prestigious rushing list. SO QB Marcus Mariota, JR RB De'Anthony Thomas and SR WR Josh Huff own three of the longest runs in school history. Thomas’ 91-yard touchdown run in the 2012 Rose Bowl Game is the second-longest at Oregon, Mariota ranks fifth with his 86-yard score at ASU - the longest rush in the Pac-12 during the 2012 season - and Huff is tied for sixth with an 85-yard TD vs. Arizona in 2010.

RETURN MENThe 2013 Oregon Ducks returned 56 letterwinners, including 16 starters - nine on offense and seven on defense - from last season. By contrast, the 2012 squad, which finished the season ranked No. 2 nationally, had 52 returning lettermen and 12 starters, including only five on offense.

COMIN’ TO OUR CITYESPN College GameDay produced its weekly college football preview show from the University of Oregon on Oct. 26, marking the eighth appearance in Eugene by the immensely popular show which features host Chris Fowler along with analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, and reporters Sam Ponder and Tom Rinaldi. The live broadcast originated from the Memorial Quad on campus. Oregon, which became the first school to host GameDay five consecutive years, has a 6-2 record when the show airs from Eugene, with defeats coming vs. No. 18 Stanford in overtime last season and against No. 6 Cal, 31-24, in 2007. In 2011, the No. 9 Ducks beat No. 18 Arizona State, 41-27. Other home wins in front of GameDay were a 52-31 victory over No. 9 Stanford in 2010 (UO was No. 4), a 47-20 Halloween upset of fourth-ranked USC in ‘09 (UO was No. 10), a 35-23 win vs. No. 6 Arizona State in ‘07 (UO was No. 4) and a 29-10 upset of No. 6 UCLA in 2000 (UO was unranked).

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESSSince 2000, Oregon is 37-6 (.860) in regular season, out-of-conference games, earning notable victories against the likes of Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Michigan (x2). During that stretch, the Ducks are 4-1 against the SEC, 1-0 vs. the ACC, 5-2 vs. the Big Ten, 1-1 vs. the Big 12, 4-0 against the Mountain West, 12-2 vs. the WAC, 2-0 against Conference USA and 7-0 vs. FCS sides.

EXPLOSION PLAYSA staple of Oregon’s blur offense in recent years has been “explosion plays” of 25 yards or more from scrimmage. After 12 games, the Ducks have already racked up 65, with 21 resulting in touchdowns. In 2012, Oregon accumulated 46 after an incredible 69 such plays in 2011.

2013 OREGON UNIFORM SYSTEMFor the second year in a row, the Ducks are taking the field wearing the fully integrated Nike uniform system that debuted at the 2012 Rose Bowl. The uniform incorporates pinnacle performance innovation and design while providing enhanced thermoregulation and more durability with the inclusion of Nike Chain Maille Mesh - a lightweight ultra-breathable material - used in both the jersey and pant.